NEWS BRIEFS

Sandy, UTAH — Linux NetworX, Inc., a provider of large-scale clustered computer solutions for Internet, industry and research fields, announced that the National Center for Macromolecular Imaging (NCMI) at Baylor College of Medicine will use the company’s clustered computers in its world-renowned molecular imaging research center.

Using a 32-processor cluster system from Linux NetworX, Baylor College of Medicine reconstructs the molecular configurations of disease and illness-causing viruses and other molecules and develops three-dimensional models of their structures. A cutting-edge technique then allows researchers to view the viruses as if they were locks. By properly studying these “locks,” they hope to find the “keys” to opening and destroying them. In the past, much of this research was done on large supercomputers costing millions of dollars. But today, because of price-performance issues, clustered-computer alternatives are being selected to handle the large amounts of computation, data handling and storage required.

“Using the cluster from Linux NetworX, we are able to create virus replicas, allowing us to rotate the images, cut them apart and view them from all directions,” said Steve Ludtke, computational biologist, Baylor College of Medicine. “In this way, we can discover their vulnerabilities and develop biochemical methods of taking advantage of those weaknesses.”

In the past, scientists used trial and error methods to create vaccines and drugs to fight viruses. But now, using clustered computers and other technologies, they are able to define the structure of these viruses and attempt to design drugs that will solve the specific problems each one presents.

“Linux NetworX cluster systems are a great option for research organizations such as Baylor College of Medicine because of the tremendous price-performance advantage we offer,” said Clark Roundy, vice president of Linux NetworX. “We’ve developed some of the most powerful Linux clusters available and are pleased that our solutions can make such groundbreaking research easier and more cost-efficient.”

Since its founding in 1900, Baylor College of Medicine ( http://www.bcm.tmc.edu ) has grown into a medical institution that is internationally respected for excellence in education, research and patient care. The NCMI is a Biomedical Technology Resource Center supported by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health ( http://www.ncrr.nih.gov ).

Linux NetworX ( http://www.linuxnetworx.com ) brings its powerful cluster technology to those demanding high availability and high performance systems. With the use of cluster computer technology, a method of linking multiple computers through high-speed networks to form a single and more powerful system, Linux NetworX provides solutions for companies with high-computing needs, including Web serving, ISPs, ASPs, research, industry, government and other technological fields. Through innovative hardware, complete cluster management software and solid service and support, Linux NetworX provides end-to-end clustering solutions. To date, the company has built some of the largest cluster systems in the world and has developed unique hardware and versatile software to facilitate overall system management. Linux NetworX has offices in Utah, New York, Calif. and Texas with various international distribution outlets.

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